Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church

Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church "The Church Where Love Is In Action"

09/06/2026

September 6, 2026 Devotional

But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭2:14-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Everyone has a favorite aroma. What’s yours? Is it freshly mowed grass or crisp, line-dried laundry? Is it warm chocolate chip cookies or a steaming loaf of bread straight from the oven? How about the downy crown of a newborn’s head or the new car smell?

On the flip side, what’s your least favorite aroma? Is it the outside garbage can in the dead of summer, your son’s sweaty football pads, uniform, and cleats after they fester in the trunk of your car all weekend or the sweaty tennis shoes?

Good or bad, an aroma permeates everything. Simply put, an aroma winds itself in, around, and under everything near it. It has the power to either attract or repel.

Our devotional scripture urges us to be the attractive aroma of Christ to the world around us: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing” (2 Cor 2:14-15 NIV)

Unbelievably, when Jesus returned to heaven after He rose from the dead, He entrusted the work of spreading His gospel message to us stinky, sinful human beings. What a privilege. What a responsibility. All of our words and actions are to be an enticing aroma that attracts others to Christ.

What kind of aroma are you?

Be Blessed!

Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church picnic.
09/05/2026

Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church picnic.

09/05/2026

September 5, 2026 Devotional

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭7‬ ‭

Oh my Buddha! My Brahma, did you see that accident? That movie was Allah-awful.

Do these phrases sound strange? Now substitute the name God. Sound a little more familiar?

Most of us likely learned this commandment: “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain” (Exodus 20:7 KJV). More recently it’s translated as, “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God” (NIV).

Church reformer Martin Luther expounded on the meaning of this commandment: “We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name.”*

You might be saying to yourself, “Okay, I get how all those things would be a ‘misuse’ of God’s name. But ‘Oh my God!’ doesn’t mean anything, does it?”

Aye, there’s the rub.

I’m partial to the wording in the KJV: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”

Webster’s dictionary gives these synonyms for the phrase in vain: unsuccessful, futile, useless, empty. So saying God’s name in vain means uttering it as if it has no value, purpose, or ability to accomplish anything.

So how are we to use God’s name? Martin Luther further elaborated that we are to “call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.”

Using God’s name in these ways is never in vain.

* Martin Luther, Luther’s Small Catechism (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2019), https://catechism.cph.org/en/10-commandments.html.

Be Blessed!

09/04/2026

September 4, 2026 Devotional

Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite.
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭147‬:‭5‬ ‭

Every year on the first day of school, we line our kiddos up and mark their heights against a wall, marking the passage of time and the growth of our family. I often get choked up looking at it, remembering the little people my kids once were.

As human beings, we’re very measurable. We grow “this” tall. We are “this” many years old. We have “this” much patience and X amount of energy. We’ve been at our jobs X number of years, and those jobs start at a specific time on the clock each day.

One of the things that makes God GOD is that He is immeasurable. He is ageless and timeless. He has been at His“job” countless years. And He has infinite amounts of patience and love. We can’t put Him into a box with numbers and limits. We can’t mark His height against a wall, and His love and patience are infinite. He is beyond all of our measuring and understanding.

“Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit” (Psalm 147:5).

Wow. Our God is divine and powerful! So the next time you’re frazzled because you’re running late or don’t have enough time in the day or feel like you’re not measuring up, go to God and get everything you need to get through your measurable day and life, because He is your immeasurable Father.

Be Blessed!

09/03/2026

September 3, 2026 Devotional

And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
‭‭Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭4‬ ‭

The band U2 has a song entitled, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” You and I can relate. We go through life feeling like something is missing, fearing what will go wrong next. The women at the tomb on the first Easter didn’t find what they were looking for either. They were looking for Jesus’ body, but “when they looked up, they saw that the stone ... had been rolled away” (Mark 16:4).

Have you ever wondered why the stone was rolled away? The stone was not rolled away so that Jesus could get out but so that the women could peek in! God’s message was, “There’s nothing to see here!” And that nothing changes everything!

You see, by finding nothing in the tomb, you find everything it is you are looking for in life because Jesus lives to give it. Are you looking for peace from a guilty conscience? Stop trying to get it by your own effort. The living Jesus says, “I give you a peace that passes all understanding.” Are you looking for contentment? Stop trying to get it by getting more only to feel less content. The living Jesus says, “You have all you need in me and more.” Are you looking for an answer to the grave? Stop looking for it in health programs and diets that only serve to stave off the inevitable. The living Jesus says, “See how my empty grave means yours will be too.” I’ve finally found what I’m looking for! You too?

Be Blessed!

09/02/2026

September 2, 2026 Devotional

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬ ‭

One of Jesus’s most well-known miracles is the feeding of five thousand people. (That’s just men. Women and children were there too.) The people were hungry, but there wasn’t enough food to feed everyone. A little boy shared his five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus thanked God for the food, and the disciples handed it out. Everyone ate—and twelve basketfuls of food were left over.

It’s easy to forget the context of this story though.

Jesus had just heard His cousin John had been murdered and, understandably, wanted privacy (maybe to grieve, to pray, to ponder His own death). So He took a boat to a secluded place, but the huge crowd walked to find Him. When Jesus saw all of them, He didn’t tell them to leave. Instead, He had compassion on them, healed them, and fed them.

Can you feel His humanity? The Son of Man was exhausted and grieving, yet He continued serving. Moments like this amaze me about my Lord and leave me speechless about my Savior. See, I usually just think about the big temptations He overcame but forget these “little” temptations too. He overcame the temptation not to serve, not to love. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

There’s a lesson for us too when we face the temptation not to serve: “Do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love” (Galatians 5:13).

Be Blessed!

09/01/2026

September 1, 2026 Devotional

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭

God always keeps His promises. That’s easy to say but sometimes hard for us to believe. God promised to lead the Israelites from Egypt into the Promised Land. But then Pharaoh trapped them against the Red Sea. It’s much harder to believe God’s promises when we see the Red Sea of challenges standing between the Promised Land and us.

God promises, “Do not be afraid. … The LORD will fight for you; you need only be still” (Exodus 14:13-14 NIV). Who fights for you? The Lord! The One who created the universe and sustains all things with His mighty hand, who destroyed the world with a flood, who sent ten miraculous plagues on Egypt to free His people, who sent His Son to save this world. That puts things in perspective. With that résumé, which promise is impossible for God to keep?

Are you worried about your forgiveness and your ability to forgive? You need only be still. Look at the cross and see the Lord fight to the death for you. Are you worried about things that could rob you of life: sickness and accidents? You need only be still. Look at the empty tomb, and see the Lord defeat death for you. Are you worried about having enough? You need only be still and see Jesus’ ascended hands raised in blessing over you. In all those ways, you hear the gentle whisper of your Savior-God: “Do not be afraid. I will fight for you. You need only be still.”

Be Blessed!

Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church invite you to our annual Usher Day program on Sunday, September 13 at 2:30 p.m. Al...
09/01/2026

Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church invite you to our annual Usher Day program on Sunday, September 13 at 2:30 p.m. All are welcome to come share Christ with us!

08/31/2026

August 31, 2026 Devotional

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭18‬, ‭20‬ ‭

Years ago I attended the funeral for the mom of a dear friend. Her mom had died unexpectedly, and my friend was still mourning the loss of her dad a few years prior. As my friend and I clung to each other in front of the casket, she whispered in my ear, “I am now an orphan.” She was hurting because the two people who had loved her most in the world were now gone.

As Jesus spent His final days with His disciples before His death, He spoke to them with an urgency that impending goodbyes bring. As He talked about leaving them to return to heaven, their hearts were heavy. They didn’t understand why Jesus needed to leave. You can almost hear the hurt and confusion in Peter’s voice: “Lord, where are you going? ... Why can’t I follow you now?” (John 13:36–37).

But Jesus wasn’t leaving His friends to flounder alone. He gave them this assurance: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ... You are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:18, 20). Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to empower them, to help them do the work He had prepared them to do.

You see, we are never truly orphans, even when our earthly parents pass away. Jesus lives in us. God, our heavenly Father, is our forever Father. And nothing—not even death—can separate us from His glorious presence.

Be Blessed!

08/30/2026

August 30, 2026 Devotional

Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭124‬:‭8‬ ‭

“Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:8 NIV).

God’s name is more than a name. It saves. God’s name reveals His nature, power, reputation, and much more. Jesus spoke His name to a hostile crowd in the Garden of Gethsemane, and they fell backward to the ground.

We can’t fully explain this mystery. But we can increase our understanding by spending time in holy wonder, contemplating a few examples.

“Save me, O God, by your name” (Psalm 54:1 NIV).

“Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk’” (Acts 3:6 NIV).

“God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9–11 NIV).

“And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us” (1 John 3:23 NIV).

How does God’s power and goodness resonate today when we speak His name? Spend some time praying with and meditating on the name of Jesus. Ask the Spirit to lead you to a deeper understanding of all that is possible when you call on and believe in God’s name.

Be Blessed!

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131 Cedar Grove Church Rd
Mount Juliet, TN
37122

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